sarkymite Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Hi all A weird one. Tonight at about 7 I popped outside back door to pull some carrots for dinner (I've got containers near the back door). I heard bokking and alarm calling so ran up the garden to the chooks yard. 5 birds all in the coop and asleep but the 6th, Wilma, who is one of my two oldest ones and is the head bird and usually very placid and tame, in a real panic flapping up and down the run and shouting the place down. I shone my torch in for a while and talked to her but although she calmed a bit she wouldn't go to bed, just stood there alert and anxious, so I went into the WIR and she ran straight to me, clucking. I picked her up which temporarily caused even more alarm and she then calmed completely as I held her. She did not have any obvious injuries or issues (though it is dark) so i walked around to the side of the coop and popped her in via the egg port, shut the door, shut the coop, and all went quiet. I've just gone up now to do a walkabout and I could tell things were still unsettled as I approached the coop, she was clucking and stamping about. So I opened the egg port to peek in. The other 5 are all in classic roost mode, sleepy and confused and there she is stampeding up and down, wide awake and bokking/screeching again. I shut the door, talked to her for a bit from the other side of an air vent until she calmed and then left her to it but I could hear she still wasn't settled. What on earth could be wrong with her? I can't see any obvious signs of being disturbed by predators and anyway wouldn't they all be upset if it was a predator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) Rat? Mouse? Something like that which woke her up? If she’s top hen, it’s her job to sound the alarm. Edited January 24, 2019 by Patricia W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarkymite Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 Rat was my first thought, but would she still be unsettled hours later? I've just done a 2nd walkabout and though she is quieter than she was she is still clucking and stamping about. But it's only her. I didn't open the coop this time to look as I was worried I might frighten her some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Had something similar happen a month ago Sarkymite; two hens refused to go into the coop and were obviously distressed. Checked the coop and nothing in there so put them to bed. In the morning we fitted weld mesh over the air vents. They still won't go in on their own though, even after a month. Suspect it was either a mouse or a small bird, because we have no rats (our dog can smell them and goes crazy). Problem is they can go in through the open pop-hole anyway, so incidents like that are bound to happen. A few years ago we found a dead sparrow in one of the coops; appeared it had received one hard peck to the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarkymite Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 Still can't see anything there this morning, think a mouse is likely though as it's been so cold. One could have snuck in to keep warm. Wilma seems pretty much back to normal this morning so fingers crossed this will all be forgotten by bedtime tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajm200 Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Is it possible she heard a vixen calling? Foxes are really noisy atm round here as it is mating season. The noise vixens make is awful and carries a long way to attract a mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarkymite Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 They hear foxes calling every night, often actually in our garden. It never disturbs them though it regularly wakes me! This was definitely something else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 That's alarm calling for you Suspect that it would have been something bigger than a mouse though - one of those would have been supper, rather than a cause for alarm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
